Restaurant Creates Virtual Menu Using Diners’ Instagram Photos

Social media has challenged businesses to think creatively when designing marketing strategies. But the ever-changing medium also means that you have to work extra hard to get one step ahead, which is exactly what one restaurant did.

“You just see people snapping pictures of whatever they’re eating,” explained restaurant owner Felipe Donnelly. “And with Instagram, the pictures are really good… Instagram helps tweak the picture and give it a nice feel.”

Diners are asked to take pictures of their meals and upload them to Instagram along with the hashtag #comodomenu. At any point during their visits, customers can search the hashtag (or the virtual menu) to get an idea of what specific menu items look like.

Comodo isn’t the first business to integrate Instagram into its customers’ experience. Clothing brand Free People encourages shoppers to upload pictures of themselves using a product hashtag. Approved images are then added to individual product pages, offering online shoppers a unique look at the brand’s clothing line.

At the time of publication, #comodomenu had 161 photos, including a few non-related images as well.

Jennifer Beese: Jennifer Beese has worked as a community manager and social media strategist. When she’s not writing, you can find her studying anatomy and physiology—she literally has a skeleton in her closet—or under the stars with her telescope.

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